Jimmy White, snooker champion, reveals crack addiction 'cost him 10 world titles' | Daily Mail Online comments Snooker champion Jimmy White has revealed that he battled with an addiction to crack cocaine at the height of his fame. The 52-year-old, nicknamed 'Whirlwind', became a favourite with fans in the 1980s and 90s and reached the final of the Snooker World Championship six times. But he has admitted that he was hiding a drug habit that cost him up to £10,000 a month said that the addiction 'probably cost him 10 world titles'. Scroll down for video Addiction: Snooker player Jimmy White, known by his nickname the 'Whirlwind' has admitted to a crack cocaine habit that cost him £10,000 a month.

He said that he is 'lucky to be alive' after living the way he did Close: Jimmy White, pictured far left with fellow players Kirk Stevens, Alex Higgins and Tony Knowles, recalled one occasion when he and Stevens took crack cocaine in a hotel room during the Irish Masters Disappointment: Jimmy White, right with Ronnie O'Sullivan last year, reached the final of the Snooker World Championship six times but never won. On four occasions he was beaten by Stephen Hendry In an extract from his new autobiography, Second Wind, which is serialised in the Sun , White told of smoking crack with his close friend and fellow player Kirk Stevens in a hotel room at the Irish Masters.

WHIRLWIND: HIGHLIGHTS FROM JIMMY WHITE'S GLITTERING CAREER White's glittering career has seen him win 10 professional ranking tournaments: 2x The Classic (1986, 1991) 2x Grand Prix (1986, 1992) 2x British Open (1987, 1992) 1x Canadian Open (1989) 1x UK Championship (1992) 1x Players Championship (2004) He said: 'I think Kirk tried it first but I'm my own man and I don't blame anyone else for making me do something as stupid as smoking crack. The blame for that lies at my door only.' Kirk Stevens, who was accused of taking cocaine during a professional tournament in 1985, admitted his addiction to the drug in a series of newspaper articles published that year. Speaking of his own addiction, White added that he was 'lucky to be alive' after graduating from powder cocaine to the more potent crack.

White reached the World Championship, held at the Crucible theatre, Sheffield, in 1984 and in every year from 1990 to 1994 but lost on each occasion. He said that his drug habit cost him 10 world titles. And the player admitted that he had 'frittered away' most of the prize money from his illustrious career, during which he has won 23 professional titles including the 1992 UK Championship. RELATED ARTICLES Share 387 shares White, who appeared in the 2009 series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, said that he had 'one sneaky account with NatWest' that he dipped into to fund his habit. He said: 'I did the lot in less than three months. Every penny.' In the extract he wrote: 'Jimmy White... snooker hero... people's champion... crack addict. Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it? But for about three crazy months it was true.' Habit: White, pictured left at a competition in 2010, became a fan-favourite in the 1980s and nineties.

The player, who appeared in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2009 (right) said he 'frittered away' his winnings 'Stupid': White (pictured second from left) said Kirk Stevens (second from right) 'probably tried cocaine first' but said that only he was to blame for his habit. Also pictured above, Tony Knowles (left) and Alex Higgins (right) White, known as the best snooker player to have never won the championship, has also admitted to battling with alcohol and gambling habits. After losing the World Championship Final to Stephen Hendry in 1994, White spent his tournament earnings of £128,000 on gambling - in 24 hours. Speaking in a 2008 interview with the Daily Mail, he said: I don't know when I had time to sleep. Or play snooker! I wouldn't ever practise, I was too busy enjoying myself. 'People's champion': White, pictured during a 2007 tournament, is regarded to be the best player to have never won a world championship.

He said that he emptied a bank account in six months funding his habit Successful: Jimmy White has won 10 professional ranking tournaments in his glittering career, 1984 Masters (pictured above), the 1992 UK Championship and two Grand Prix crowns 'Once I went three days solid without sleep because I was gambling. From 20 to 30, that was my life. I was sick. He added: 'I've had my dark days, but I wasn't really a hell-raiser as such,' he protested. 'I liked to drink and I liked to party but I never did anyone any harm, never hurt anyone. All I did was hurt myself sometimes.' White, also beat testicular cancer after being diagnosed in 1995. Jimmy White (Snooker Player) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Snooker Player Male Born May 2, 1962 James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.

White's extensive list of achievements, however, also include victory in the World Amateur Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters.… Read More related links The Whitey Bulger Trial: Blast From The Past The Economist - Jul 18, 2013 ' \nA face that still makes people tremble\n TOMMY DONAHUE was just a boy when his father was murdered in 1982. He still carries his dadâs death certificate in his trouser pocket. It cites multiple gunshot wounds as the cause; Mr Donahue thinks it should also list the names of the gangsters who killed his father, and the rogue FBI agents who tipped them off.Michael Donahue, who was not a mobster, was giving a lift home to a wise-guy friend, Brian Halloran, who was suspected of snitching to t... Comment On Sexual Abuse On The Prairie By The Lord Ben Chung Canadian Christianity - Apr 05, 2012 ' Dear Jimmy: \n While it isa that you get paid for writing an article, others pay for that with sweat, tears and blood. Your spreading rumours on Carmen Wesley, is despicable, and has consequences.

I hope that you come up with an apology and correction. It is easy with a stroke of pen and you get paid for. Carmen pays for this with mental anguish and her mother Elisa also pays for this with sleepless nights, nightmares and anger. You are a Christian man, at least check the sources and a... White Upends Barry To Claim First City Crown Mail Tribune Google News - Aug 29, 2011 '<mark>Jimmy White</mark> hits from bunker during the 2011 Rogue Valley Stroke Play Championship Sunday at Centennial Golf Club in Medford. Mail Tribune / Julia MooreJulia Moore By Tim Trower <mark>Jimmy White</mark> pulled another sticker out of one of his socks' Snooker In Mourning As Referee Ganley Passes Away At 68 Daily Mail Google News - Aug 28, 2011 'Ganley refereed four World Championship finals at Sheffield&#39;s Crucible Theatre, including Stephen Hendry&#39;s first success in 1990 over <mark>Jimmy White</mark>.

He also took charge of one of the sport&#39;s fabled matches, the 1983 UK Championship final, in which Alex' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Jimmy White. CHILDHOOD 1962 Birth Born on May 2, 1962. TEENAGE 1978 16 Years Old The club was affectionately known as "Zans" and after Ted's death in 1978 it was handed down to his daughter. … Read More It was around this time that White met Tony Meo with whom he would compete in money matches in many venues. His natural aptitude for snooker, perhaps only bettered by Ronnie O'Sullivan led to a successful amateur career. Read Less 1979 17 Years Old After winning the English Amateur Championship in 1979, a year later he became the youngest ever winner of the World Amateur Snooker Championship, aged 18, a record since surpassed by Ian Preece and Hossein Vafaei.

… Read More With a host of major titles and achievements, including ten ranking tournaments, White's overall record ranks him well up the list of snooker's most successful players. The BBC describes him as a "legend". A left-hander, he reached the World Professional Championship Final on six occasions (1984, 1990â1994) but failed to win the sport's most prestigious title since his first attempt in 1981. Read Less 1980 18 Years Old … James Warren "Jimmy" White, (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player. Read Less Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his fluid, attacking style of play and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a six times World Championship finalist, the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 Six-red World Champion, 2010 World Seniors Champion and 1984 World Doubles champion with Alex Higgins. … Read More White's non-world championship achievements include the UK Championship, the Masters and the Nations Cup.

A two times winner of both the World Cup and the British Open White was also the first left-handed player, and second player overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.<br /><br /> White was born in Streathbourne Road, Tooting, London, England, and studied at Hillcroft Comprehensive (later renamed Ernest Bevin College). He never achieved academic success, as he was often truant from school from the age of eight or nine, spending more and more time at "Zans", Ted Zanoncelli's snooker hall. Read Less 1981 19 Years Old White established himself as a top professional in 1981. … Read More After losing 8â10 to eventual champion Steve Davis in the first round of World Championship, White went on to win his first professional titles â the Scottish Masters (defeating Cliff Thorburn in the final) and the Northern Ireland Classic (defeating Davis). Read Less TWENTIES 1982 - 1987 5 More Events 1982 20 Years Old The World Championship has provided the theatre for White's greatest disappointments.

In 1982, he led Alex Higgins 15â14 in their semi-final, was up 59â0 in the penultimate and was a and away from the final. … Read More After missing a red with the rest, however, he could only watch as Higgins compiled a frame-winning 69 break. Higgins won the deciding frame that followed to reach the final. Read Less Show Less In 1984 White won the Masters for the only time to date, beating Terry Griffiths 9â5 in the final. … Read More He followed this success by reaching his first World Championship final. Trailing Steve Davis 4â12 after the first two sessions, White responded by reducing the deficit to 15â16. He then made an aggressive clearance of 65 to take the score to 16â17, but was unable to build upon a 40-point lead in the following frame, and lost 16â18.

White did, however, become a World Doubles Champion later that year when he and Alex Higgins defeated Willie Thorne and Cliff Thorburn 10â2 in the final of the World Doubles Championship.<br /><br /> In 1986 White reached his second Masters final, but was defeated by Cliff Thorburn. Read Less White revealed that he went from taking cocaine to crack following his defeat by Steve Davis in the 1984 World Championship final. 1985 23 Years Old However he won the Classic and also retained the Irish Masters title he won in 1985. … Read More White won the Classic when he beat Thorburn in the final frame after needing a snooker. Later in the year he overcame veteran Rex Williams 10â6 to win his first Grand Prix title.

Read Less 1987 25 Years Old White's third ranking win â the 1987 British Open â helped him to end the 1986/1987 season as World number 2, behind Steve Davis who defeated him 16â11 in the semi-finals of the 1987 World Championship. … Read More Later that year White and Davis contested a memorable UK Championship final which Davis won 16â14. Read Less Show Less In 1988 he defeated John Campbell, Stephen Hendry and Tony Knowles to reach his fourth World Championship semi-final. … Read More He played Terry Griffiths and, trailing 11â13, lost a tied frame on a respotted black. Griffiths went on to reach the final courtesy of a 16â11 win. White did at least manage to consolidate his number-2 world ranking. Read Less However the 1988/1989 season was less successful, and White's ranking slipped.

1989 27 Years Old He trailed John Virgo 11â12 in the second-round of the 1989 World Championship and looked beaten when his opponent was on a break of 26 in the following frame. … Read More Virgo, however, called a foul on himself and White was able to win 13â12. The reprieve was short-lived as White was soundly beaten 7â13 by eventual finalist John Parrott in the quarter-finals. White avenged this defeat later in the year by beating Parrott 18â9 in the final of the invitational World Matchplay. Read Less Show Less In 1990, White recorded a 16â14 victory over Steve Davis in the semi-finals of the World Championship. … Read More It was Davis's first defeat in the event in four years. White subsequently lost his second World Championship final 12â18 to Stephen Hendry. Read Less White had a cameo role as himself (as the World Billiards Champion) in Stephen Chow's 1990 kung fu and billiards comedy film, Legend of the Dragon.

… Read More On the popular BBC game show Big Break, White was the first player to clear the table with 3 reds still remaining in the final part of the challenge (thus winning the top prize for the contestant he was playing for). He was introduced to the studio audience on each appearance with the song "Jimmy Jimmy" by the Undertones.<br /><br /> In the film Jack Said (a prequel to Jack Says) White played the part of Vic Lee, a dodgy snooker club owner, in his first major film role for British cinema.<br /><br /> White appeared in the 9th series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! He finished in third place on 4 December 2009, with Gino D'Acampo the eventual winner.<br /><br /> White has endorsed four computer games: Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker, Jimmy White's 2: Cueball, Jimmy White's Cueball World and Pool Paradise. These games have been released for numerous machines, from 8 bits up to second-generation consoles and mobile phones. In June 2007, he was contracted to the online billiard website Play89.

Read Less Show Less However White toiled for the remainder of the season, and his struggles continued at the 1993 World Championship. … Read More He did, however, manage to overcome Joe Swail, Doug Mountjoy and Dennis Taylor to reach the semi-finals. White lost the first five frames of his semi-final with James Wattana but, from 2â6, he won 12 successive frames en route to a 16â9 victory. However he proved no match for Stephen Hendry in the final, and Hendry's century break in his first visit to the table proved portentious as White was beaten 18â5 with a session to spare. Only John Parrott (in 1989) has suffered a heavier defeat in a World Championship final. White did, however, manage to end the season on a high-note when he beat Alan McManus to win the Matchroom League.

Read Less White endured a lacklustre campaign in the 1993/1994 season, but managed to reach the 1994 World Championship final for a fifth successive year, becoming only the second player after Steve Davis (1983â89) to achieve this. … Read More For the fourth time in five years, White's opponent in the final was Stephen Hendry and the defending champion opened up a 5â1 lead. White recovered well to lead 13â12 and made a break of 75 to take the match into a deciding frame. In the final frame, White was on a break of 29 and leading the frame by 37 points to 24 when he missed a straightforward black off its spot. Commentator Dennis Taylor memorably observed: "Dear me, that was just a little bit of tension". As it happened, Hendry cleared with a technically straightforward break of 58 to win the title. Gracious in defeat, White joked that Hendry was "beginning to annoy" him in the post-match interview.<br /><br /> White's form continued to decline the following season and he failed to reach a ranking final.

However his results on the table were greatly overshadowed, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the season. He was able to make a successful recovery after having his left testicle removed. Shortly after, White underwent further surgery to correct his bald spot. Read Less Show Less At the 1995 World Championship, White was involved in a controversial first-round match against South African Peter Francisco. … Read More From 2â2 White was able to pull away and win convincingly by 10 frames to 2. Shortly after it emerged that large sums of money had been placed on White to win the match by the eventual scoreline. The ensuing investigation found Francisco guilty of misconduct and banned him for five years. However no evidence was found against White, and he was completely cleared of any wrongdoing.<br /><br /> White put this controversy behind him and overcame David Roe and John Parrott to reach his tenth World Championship semi-final. In his match with Stephen Hendry, White could only watch as the defending champion made a 147 break to go 8â4 in front.

White recovered well to 7â8 and won three successive frames to reduce his arrears from 9â14 to 12â14. However Hendry proved too strong and ran out a 16â12 win. Read Less White's ranking slipped from 7th to 13th at the end of the 1995/1996 season and he was beaten 13â12 in a second-round encounter with Peter Ebdon in the 1996 World Championship. Show Less In the invitational 2002 Masters he beat Matthew Stevens 6â1 and came back from 2â5 behind to defeat O'Sullivan 6â5 in the quarter-finals. … Read More He similarly recovered from 2â5 down in his semi-final with Mark Williams but lost 5â6. Read Less He lost 3â13 in his second-round match with Matthew Stevens at the 2002 World Championship and issued an immediate apology after hitting the cue ball off the table in frustration when trailing 2â5.

White won only two ranking event matches in the 2002/2003 season but was able to maintain his top-16 ranking. Show Less His last ranking victory to date came in April 2004, when White defeated Shaun Murphy, John Parrott, Ian McCulloch, Peter Ebdon and Paul Hunter to win the Players Championship in Glasgow â his first ranking title in over 11 years. Victory in the 2004 World Championship could have given White the number-one ranking, but he was beaten 10â8 by qualifier Barry Pinches after leading 4â2. White's consistency diminished in the 2004/2005 season. … Read More Although his ranking rose to number 8 he was unable to reach the quarter-finals of any ranking event. Read Less Show Less However he made two more memorable comebacks in the 2005 Masters. … Read More White trailed Matthew Stevens 2â5 in the first-round and pulled back to 4â5 after needing two snookers in the ninth frame.

White went on to win 6â5 and beat Stevens's compatriot Mark Williams by the same score in the quarter-finals after trailing 4â5. But White was soundly beaten 6â1 by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals. Read Less White fell out of the top-32 at the end of the 2005/2006 season and has not regained this status to date. Show Less Nonetheless, his consistency waned in the 2000s and a first-round defeat in the 2006 World Championship saw White drop out of the world's top 32 player rankings. He lost in the first round of the 2006 World Championship, although he did beat Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui and World Champion Graeme Dott to reach the final of the 2006 Premier League. In the 2006/2007 season he qualified for only one ranking event, the 2007 China Open. … Read More He had a walkover Stephen Lee, before he lost 1â5 against John Higgins. After the season he fell out of the top-48.

Read Less Show Less In the 2007/2008 season he won 7 of his 16 qualifying matches. He won 4 straight matches at the 2007 Grand Prix and finished in the third place of his group, thus not qualifying for the main draw. In November 2007, his father, Tommy White, died aged 88. With his daughter, Lauren Albert, White is a director of Jimmy White Ltd., which had a turnover of Â£180,359 in 2006. White has been a fan of Chelsea Football Club since 1972. In December 2012, Jimmy got engaged to Kelly Singh. Show Less He won one match at the 2008 Welsh Open and two matches at the 2008 World Championship. … Read More After the season he fell out of the top-64 and remained on the tour only via the one year list.

Read Less He began the 2008/2009 season by qualifying for the main draw of the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy and the 2008 Shanghai Masters, but lost in the first round against Barry Hawkins 3â5 and Mark King 4â5 respectively. … Read More He won 4 of his next 7 qualifying matches (2 at the 2008 Grand Prix and at the 2008 UK Championship. Read Less Show Less In 2014 White almost lost his place on the professional World Snooker circuit as he finished the 2013/2014 season ranked World No 64. … Read More While White remained on the tour fellow veteran Steve Davis, however, lost his place, landing outside the top 64.<br /><br /> In March, 2016 Jimmy lost to Brian Robertson in a 1 frame exhibition match in Wallasey. Brian knocked in a 72 break to defeat the 6 time world snooker championship finalist.

Read Less In his autobiography, released in November 2014, it was revealed that White was addicted to crack cocaine during a three-month spell of his career. Jimmy White - Biography - IMDb Jimmy White Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trivia (13) Overview (4) 5' 8" (1.73 m) Mini Bio (1) Jimmy White was born on May 2, 1962 as James Warren White. He is an actor, known for I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2002), I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! NOW! (2002) and Noel's Christmas Past (1995). He is married to Kelly Singh. He was previously married to Maureen Mockler. Spouse (2) (? - ?) (divorced) (5 children) Trivia (13) Jimmy White is one of the fastest playing pro snooker players in the world, hence his nickname (The Whirlwind).

Jimmy is a fan Of Chelsea Football Club (London, England) Despite reaching the Snooker World Final many times he has yet to win the biggest prize in Snooker. 6 times losing finalist in the World Snooker Championship He was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1999 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to the sport of Snooker. Wins first Snooker Tournament for 12 years with a victory in the Players Championship [April 2004] As of 1 December 2015 his ranking is 121. Jimmy White's daughter on life with the snooker ace | Daily Mail Online comments The first clue Lauren White gives that there was nothing remotely ‘normal’ about her childhood is when she rifles through the family album. There’s a Rolling Stone at her wedding; a family snap taken by the Queen’s cousin, Patrick Lichfield. But there is a particularly poignant photo of Lauren and her dad. She is aged four, dressed in a mini-tuxedo and bow tie, and holding a tiny snooker cue.

Grinning widely next to her is her father — the snooker ace Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White. Chalk and cheese: Lauren White today with her father the snooker champion, Jimmy White Lauren looks as pleased as punch to be a miniature version of her dad. But nearly 30 years on, are the parallels still welcome? Even when that picture was taken, Jimmy was becoming as well-known for his heavy drinking and gambling as for his sporting brilliance. The Whirlwind was well on the road to self-destruction. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share And by the time Lauren had her own children — Alfie, now six, Sonny, four and Summer, two — Jimmy had lost millions, been convicted for drink-driving, cautioned for drug possession, and ended up bankrupt. He also had gone down in history as the best snooker talent never to have won the World Championship. He made it to the final six times but never clinched the title. Jimmy, now 50, admits had he spent less time intoxicated and more time in the practice hall, things might have been different. But the pressures were huge.

Just this week, world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan — who clinched the title for the fourth time this month — pledged to protect his own son, also four, from snooker’s harsher realities. 'Dad would go out, often to do something normal like the shopping, and just vanish for days. Sometimes we'd read what he got up to in the papers, but often we never knew' He said he’d prefer Ronnie Jnr to play a ‘healthy’ sport, like golf, than spend his time in dingy snooker halls. Lauren, 32, says: ‘My dad came from that world, and still thrives on it. I think any sportsman has to make sacrifices. In our case, the family life was the thing to go.’ She can’t deny that Jimmy’s life-story makes for a rollicking read, though. ‘It’s like something out of a film. When you look at everything he’s been through, it’s a miracle he survived to tell the tale,’ she says. Perhaps it is more remarkable that Lauren — the eldest of Jimmy’s five children — has written a very different tale. Her childhood was about as dysfunctional as it got.

‘With hindsight, it was crazy,’ she says. ‘Dad would go out, often to do something normal like the shopping, and just vanish for days. Sometimes we’d read what he got up to in the papers, but often we never knew.’ Even as a young child, Lauren knew her family wasn’t ‘normal’, thanks to her dad being part of the first wave of sports stars who lived like rock stars. ‘I’d notice other people didn’t live this way,’ she says. ‘All the other kids would get the school-bus home. I’d always get it to whichever restaurant my parents were in that evening. ‘My mum didn’t cook. It never occurred to them.’ Jimmy and Lauren’s mum Maureen got together in their early teens — when he was making money in South London snooker halls instead of going to school. Maureen wasn’t a homebody and loved accompanying him around the country as he made a name for himself. Just as Jimmy was turning professional, Lauren was born, in 1980. There was a gap of eight years before her siblings started to arrive — three girls then a boy, now 13.

Mini me: Father and daughter when Lauren was aged four Jimmy and Maureen on their wedding day (left) and together after Jimmy defeated Terry Griffiths in the Snooker Masters Championship Final at Wembley Arena in London on January 27 1984 (right) The family lived in a succession of flats while Jimmy slogged his way up the world rankings. Lauren says: ‘The trappings weren’t important then. Mum wanted to be close to her own family. And she’d be off travelling with Dad anyway. It must have been quite exciting, that life.’ But the marriage was volatile, as Jimmy admitted in his autobiography. He described the punch-ups after he came home from a bender, and wrote harrowingly about waking up to discover his wife had found other women’s phone numbers in his pockets then scrawled them over the walls of their home. Lauren says: ‘There were fights, tears. Dad would go AWOL and Mum would hit the phones to find out where he was. ‘One of Dad’s great mates was, and is, Ronnie Wood.

Once they arranged to go Christmas shopping together and disappeared for days.’ But Maureen, now 51, was far from downtrodden, Lauren says. ‘She gave as good as she got, and I think they loved the drama. 'At Christmas, my sisters and I would wake up to find our bedrooms filled with... well, everything' ‘Even as a child I remember thinking, “This is stupid. Just grow up.” Some people assume you’ll go off the rails yourself but that just didn’t happen. At first, having a dad like mine was a bit cool. I’d get to hang out at the Hard Rock Cafe with Bruce Willis. But as a teenager, you must have something to rebel against. I didn’t — because there were no rules.’ As we chat, Lauren refuses her daughter more cake, and says: ‘Maybe this is my rebellion. I’m strict with my own children. I insist on proper meal times, proper home-made food. ‘My attitudes to everything, family life, money, drink, are about as far from my dad as it’s possible to get.’ She is married to a teacher, Jon Albert, and leads, she admits happily, ‘the most boring life you could imagine’.

But what of Jimmy’s life? He has certainly slowed down, but when I’m at Lauren’s Surrey house, he shows up in a flash car with the number plates ‘Cue Boy’. And he whistles when I comment on how well Lauren’s life has turned out. ‘Sometimes out of madness comes sanity, I suppose,’ he says. ‘But I certainly can’t explain it.’ The fact he is still playing is largely down to his family, who rallied around when he hit rock-bottom, and bankruptcy, in 1996. They helped him with his alcohol and gambling issues, and supported him when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1995. Then four years ago he and Maureen split. Lauren says: ‘They are both with other people now — and happier for it. They were just too alike for it to work.’ Lauren has taken charge of her father’s finances, saying: ‘Dad doesn’t really understand money. We are not sure how many millions he has lost over the years. He only has one credit card now, and everything he earns comes through me.

Jimmy in the 1980s at the Embassy World Snooker Championships at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre 'Snooker is his life': Lauren doesn't think her Dad will ever stop playing ‘To this day, I’ve never taken a penny off him. I don’t feel, and never have, I’m owed anything.’ He does like spoiling his grandchildren, though. Lauren says: ‘My children go over to his house and the first thing he’ll say is, “Let’s go down the shops,” which is exactly what he did with me. ‘If he won a tournament we’d all get to go to Harrods and fill our boots. It was a case of, “Have whatever you like.” At Christmas, my sisters and I would wake up to find our bedrooms filled with. . . well, everything. ‘Was it guilt? I don’t know. It was only when I started to spend Christmases with my husband’s family, who gave ‘normal’ presents, little things like socks, I realised our way probably wasn’t healthy.’ ‘But oddly enough, I am grateful that he always insisted on us going to private school. I thought it was crazy at the time.

I’d say, “Dad, we cannot afford this.” I’m kind of glad he didn’t listen.’ Lauren finds it hard to condemn her father’s behaviour. ‘When he did come home, he was incredibly loving and fun. I don’t think he set out to hurt anyone,’ she says. ‘I never didn’t feel loved by my him or my mum. I just don’t think they understood how to parent.’ Jimmy remains one of snooker’s most loved figures, and Lauren says: ‘People assume it’s this big tragedy that he never won a World Championship but I’m not so sure. Being a loser made Dad popular. People can identify with him.’ ‘Snooker is his life., always has been and always will be. I don’t think he will ever give up.’ Special bond: 'When he did come home, he was incredibly loving and fun,' says Lauren Jimmy White’s testimonial, including a match against Ronnie O’Sullivan, is on June 2. See BBC SPORT | Fun and Games | Jimmy gets saucy with name change Jimmy gets saucy with name change Win Masters tickets Snooker star Jimmy White is changing his name to James Brown, as part of a madcap sponsorship deal.

The Whirlwind decided on his new moniker following news that the brown ball in all major tournaments is to be backed by a sauce manufacturer. Not only that, White will ditch his usual black tuxedo for the forthcoming Masters event in favour of a brown one. "With a bit of luck, the name James Brown will be engraved on the Masters trophy at the end of next week," he said. "The sponsorship of the brown ball really puts the fun back into snooker and, given my previous surname, I wanted to follow that lead. "I think it is also up to the players to help liven up snooker's image and raise its profile, and I feel good to do my bit with the help of HP." White, who changed his name by deed poll, plans to keep his new title for the duration of the Masters - and possibly even the World Championships. "If I win the Masters I might keep it that way!" he said. "I'll just go through the tournament and go from there. "The Godfather of Soul! I like it.

Who knows - I might be James Brown for the rest of my career." Jimmy White – Pro Snooker Blog Highest Ranking: #2 (1987-9) Highest Break: 147 (1992 World Championship) Career Highlights: 1992 UK Champion, Twice Grand Prix Champion, Twice Mercantile Credit Classic Champion, Twice British Open Champion, Six times World Championship finalist In short One of, if not the most popular player ever to have picked up a cue, there can be little doubt that Jimmy is also the most talented player never to have won the world title as his otherwise sizeable trophy collection demonstrates. Known as the Whirlwind for his quick and easy on the eye style, Jimmy is also an outstanding player when using the rest which has proved to be a great asset down the years. His game might not now be as strong as it once it was but he continues to fight hard and keep his legion of fans coming back for more. Can he get back into the top 16 for a fourth time?

Very unlikely but with a good couple of seasons, we may yet see him on our screens for a while longer… Early career An outstanding junior player, Jimmy first caught the eye of snooker experts as a 15-year-old when he became the national champion in 1977. He followed this up with victory in the English Amateur Championship a couple of years later before going further with victory in the IBSF World Championship out in Launceston. Going Pro Already recognised as a superb natural talent, it was time for White to turn professional and after an impressive début season, he finished it with a ranking of 21st. His most notable achievement was becoming the youngest player ever to have qualified for the final stages of the World Championship at the Crucible, putting up a great fight in his first match before going down 10-8 to eventual champion Steve Davis. Defeat did not hurt his progress however as during the following season he won the Scottish Masters (becoming the youngest ever winner of a ranking event in the process), Northern Ireland Classic and also reached the semi-finals of both the UK and World Championship tournaments to move into the elite top 16 after just 18 months on the circuit.

Indeed that world semi-final was one of the most memorable snooker matches of all-time, Jimmy leading 15-14 and being well up in the next frame before falling to one of the great comebacks against friend Alex Higgins. Indifferent spell and revival The next 18 months were to be less successful however, ‘only’ making two finals before losing in round one of the World Championship in 1983. He then lost the first three matches of 1983/4 and questions were being asked as to whether we had already seen the best of Jimmy White. These were answered emphatically however with a run to the semi-finals of the UK Championship (eventually losing out to Davis), before a brilliant Masters victory at Wembley against Terry Griffiths in the final. He then followed this up with a run at the Crucible, defeating Rex Williams, Eddie Charlton, Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens to make his first final. Unfortunately for Jimmy however he came up against the machine that was Steve Davis and despite recovering from 12-4 down to make it 16-17, he was to lose the match 18-16.

As we all know though, it would not be the last time that White was to suffer such disappointment… 1984/5 saw a few more invitational events come his way, but it was the following year which would see him finally win his first ranking event title at the Mercantile Credit Classic. Helping him to maintain his position of number seven in the rankings, this seemed to give Jimmy a lift and he soon added further important titles with victory at the Grand Prix and the British Open. Along with another World semi-final, these helped to move him up to a career-high ranking of number two in the world, right behind his great rival Steve Davis. A new rival The next couple of years saw just one further title come his way, but his form remained consistent and he maintained a place among the top four as the 1980’s came to a close. As his great rival Steve Davis began to slow down ever so slightly, Jimmy must have thought that his opportunity to finally become the dominant force in the game had arrived.

Unfortunately for him however, just as Davis began his decline, another young superstar by the name of Stephen Hendry was beginning his emergence, indeed pushing Jimmy to a deciding frame in their 1988 World Championship meeting in the second round. At the World Championship final in 1990 however, Hendry took his revenge, defeating White 18-12 to become the youngest ever world champion. White had played well up until the final, defeating David Taylor, John Virgo, Terry Griffiths and finally his old rival Davis to get that far, but Hendry was ultimately to prove too strong for him. 1990/1 saw success come his way at the Mercantile Classic, World Matchplay and World Masters events, but again there was to be disappointment in the final as this time his hopes were dashed by a determined John Parrott who ran out an 18-11 winner. Hendry hat-trick Though the British and European Open titles came his way in the following season, his successes were overshadowed by the start of a three year run of World Championship finals between White and his great rival Stephen Hendry.

This time around in 1992, although White made a historic 147 break in an earlier round against Maltese star Tony Drago, further disappointment was to come in the final as Hendry got the better of him 18-14. 1992/3 was a similar story as following important victories at the Grand Prix and UK Championship tournaments, his season was marred by another loss to Hendry at Sheffield, this time by a comprehensive 18-5 scoreline with a session to spare. A defining moment Of all their finals though, it was to be 1994 that would go down as the most agonising for Jimmy who famously pushed Hendry all the way to a deciding frame before a missed black saw his hopes dashed once again. Having lost his sixth final and fourth in all to Hendry, he famously declared that “he is starting to annoy me” and few could blame him! Decline By this point Jimmy was into his mid-thirties and starting to struggle, suffering a semi-final defeat to Hendry in 1995 and falling out of the top 16 just two years later.

He did gain a measure of revenge over Stephen in 1998 as he defeated his old rival 10-4 in the first round at Sheffield, but his run that year ended in the quarter-finals against Essex Exocet Ronnie O’Sullivan. Still, he had at least moved up three places in the rankings to 18th and following a reasonable 1998/9 season, he edged his way back into the top 16 again. This was not to prove a permanent renaissance however as he slipped back a couple of places again at the end of the 2000/1 campaign. Revival Jimmy could not be written off however and following a series of improved results was to reach his first ranking event final in nine years at the British Open before losing to Peter Ebdon. Another good run to the semis of the Grand Prix ensured that he moved up to 11th though and he would eventually stay in the top tier for another five years, a run capped by a hugely popular 9-7 victory in the 2004 Players Championship against Paul Hunter.

Sharp decline From this high though his career took a huge turn for the worse as just two years later he found himself dropping from 8th to 35th in the rankings, before plummeting down to 60th for 2007/8. Jimmy continued to struggle for form that season and only narrowly managed to retain his place on the tour for 2008/9 by finishing top of the one-year list for players not in the all-important top 64 that year. 2008/9 Despite this, his form during 2008/9 was much improved. Although he did not come close to winning another ranking event title, Jimmy consistently won his first round matches and reached the TV stages of both the Northern Ireland Trophy and the Shanghai Masters. Though it took him until the Welsh Open to again reach the last 32, where he was hammered by eventual winner Ali Carter, he continued to regularly win matches and moved himself up comfortably inside the top 64. Also ranked inside the top 48 on the one-year list, he had given himself a real chance of continuing to progress back up the rankings during the following season.

2009/10 Jimmy got his 2009/10 campaign off to the perfect start by following up on a strong performance in the World Series by going all the way to victory in the Sangsom 6-Red International. While taking the title in itself was an impressive feat, even more so was the manner in which he did it, defeating players such as Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, defending champion Ricky Walden, Mark King and Barry Hawkins en route. He soon added the Prague leg of the World Series to his roll of honour with a 5-3 victory over Graeme Dott in the final and having made the final of the Paul Hunter Classic in Furth, his form in the invitational events at least was looking as strong as it had for a few years. In the ranking events however it was a different story as he fell to a 5-2 defeat in the third round of the season-opening Shanghai Masters before losing 5-2 to the in-form Matt Selt in round two of the Grand Prix. The real blow to his ranking points total however came when he opted to withdraw from the UK Championship in order to participate on UK reality TV show “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!”.

Upon exiting the show, finishing third, Jimmy said: “I feel fantastic, absolutely delighted,” “I want to thank all the people for voted for me.” “I’ve never experienced anything like [this] and we are all going to stay in touch.” “I’ve learnt a lot about myself and had plenty of time to think – I even lost 22lb!” While this was a lucrative experience, the UK Championship is of course only bettered in terms of ranking points by the World Championship and his withdrawal saw his provisional ranking drop as low as 61. On his return there was a welcome trip to Wembley for White as he was awarded a wildcard for the Masters tournament, though overwhelmed by the rapturous reception he received from the crowd he played poorly and lost out to world number 16 Mark King at the first hurdle. The pressure upon Jimmy’s shoulders increased further following early exits at the hands of Ian McCulloch and Xiao Guodong in the next two tournaments, both in deciding frames. His defeat to Ian was particularly disappointing as at the interval Jimmy had led 4-0, but lost the next five frames, the decider on a re-spotted black!

Entering the World Championship needing a win to retain his professional place, White crucially delivered against Scotland’s Mark Boyle, emerging as a 10-8 winner to book a tie with 1997 world champion Ken Doherty. Though he had twice defeated Ken during the previous season, Doherty was a different player this time around and ultimately cruised to a 10-3 win, ending Jimmy’s season. 2010/11 Jimmy experienced a mixed start to the 2010/11 season as he reached the quarter-finals of two PTC events and qualified for the televised stages of the World Open, but otherwise struggled for consistency as his ranking hovered around the magical 64 mark. Jimmy during the 2011 World Championship qualifiers His best performances were to come during qualifying for the UK Championship where he was able to defeat Adam Wicheard, Adrian Gunnell and Joe Perry to reach the televised stages of the event for the first time since 2005. There he would meet old foe Hendry but compared to their previous tussles it was not to prove a classic, though the outcome was to be familiar as Stephen edged the match 9-8.

The second half of Jimmy’s season was to be relatively unspectacular, though he was able to qualify for the last 32 of the China Open in Beijing with wins against Liu Chuang, Peter Lines and Dominic Dale. He was not however to meet wildcard Tian Pengfei at the venue however as due to an administrative mistake he was not able to secure a visa for the event. Liu Chuang was also to hit back against Jimmy at the World Championship qualifiers with a 10-9 win to deny Jimmy a return to the Crucible. As a result Jimmy finished the campaign ranked 55th. 2011/12 Jimmy made a solid start to the 2011/12 season as he won his opening matches at the each of the first four full ranking, without being able to qualify for the venues, the closest being his 5-4 defeat to Peter Ebdon in the last 48 of the German Masters qualifiers. His victories combined with five last 32 runs during the PTC events were enough however to leave him in contention for a return to the world’s top 48 at the season’s second seedings revision.

Jimmy at the 2012 UK Championship qualifiers Though Jimmy was to lose his opening matches at the Haikou World Open and Welsh Open qualifiers, he was able to qualify for the final stages of the China Open with victories against Liam Highfield and Andrew Higginson, before losing to Judd Trump in Beijing. He was able to finish the seasoned up inside the top 48, however his campaign was to end on a low note as he was defeated by Liu Chuang at the World Championship qualifiers for the second year in succession. 2012/13 Jimmy’s strongest result during the first half of the 2012/13 season was to be a quarter-final run at the ET2 event in Poland, however otherwise there were to be slim pickings as he failed to make it to a venue during the rest of 2012, reaching only the final qualifying round of the Shanghai Masters before losing out to Jamie Jones.

Jimmy’s struggles were to continue into 2013, until the final tournament of the season where he was able to defeat Chinese duo Tian Pengfei and Xiao Guodong to reach the final qualifying round of the World Championship, before he lost 10-5 to Robert Milkins. 2013/14 The 2013/14 season saw Jimmy become involved in a nervy battle for tour survival, with his long professional career on the line as he fought for a place inside snooker’s top 64. His best runs were both to come in China, victories against Lee Page and Ricky Walden taking him to the last 32 of the Wuxi Classic, before he went one better late in the season at the China Open, with crucial victories against Joe Swail, David Morris and Alfie Burden seeing him through to the last 16, before he ran into Mark Selby. Though his season was to end in disappointment as he lost 10-4 to Ian Burns in his opening World Championship qualifier, his run in Beijing proved to be just enough for him to finish in 64th position and crucially, retain his main tour place for another season.

2014/15 Jimmy experienced a difficult 2014/15 as he won just three matches at full-ranking events, notably losing to Matt Selt at the World Championship qualifiers despite having taken a 7-2 lead at the end of the first session. As a result, Jimmy’s ranking slipped to 70th at the end of the season, meaning that he would fall outside of the world’s top 64 and therefore was not guaranteed to retain a main tour place for the following season. He was though able to maintain his long held professional status thanks to his results at European Tour events, six victories enough to see him finish inside of the top eight players outside of the top 64 on the main list. This meant that Jimmy would begin the 2015/16 with his ranking total reset to zero.

Tournament Victories: Jimmy White: My drug addiction cost me 10 world snooker championship titles - Telegraph Jimmy White: My drug addiction cost me 10 world snooker championship titles 'The Whirlwind's' new autobiography reveals full extent of the snooker player's battle with crack cocaine Whirlwind: Jimmy White says drug problems cost him 10 world snooker titles Photo: CLARA MOLDEN Jimmy White has revealed the full scale of the drug addiction that nearly took his life and prevented him from fulfilling his potential as a snooker player. The 52-year-old, nicknamed 'The Whirlwind', chronicles his problems with crack cocaine in his autobiography, Second Wind. White claims he could have won 10 world titles were it not for his problems with drugs, but admits his dalliance with crack cocaine was limited to a three-month period in the wake of his defeat to Steve Davis in the 1984 world championship final, the first of six final defeats for White. During those three months he claims to have spent £32,000 on the drug.

In an extract in The Sun , White reveals how he and Canadian snooker player nearly set fire to a room in The Keadeen Hotel in County Kildare as they attempted to burn rocks of crack. Related Articles Former world No 2 Carter diagnosed with lung cancer 24 May 2014 “[Kirk] had rocks on him so we started trying to cook them," White reveals. “I started trying to dismantle the door of the wardrobe so we could use it as firewood. “We started breaking down the furniture in the room, a table here, a wardrobe there, trying to get a fire started so we could cook this stuff up. “That’s how sadistic the drug is, that’s how crazy it had sent us. Two of the best snooker players in the world, holed away in an Irish hotel room, smashing up chairs and ripping up a duvet so we could make an indoor fire and smoke some crack. "Lying there glassy-eyed - spoons, tinfoil and rocks lying everywhere - we didn't give a s--- about anything else. "Practise went out the window and our families didn't know where we were. "We were doing the best to kill ourselves.

That's what crack does to you. That's what crack has done to us. That's how bad it is. "We were flirting with death and we didn't give a s---. If using cocaine is sniffing 'The Devil's Dandruff' then smoking crack is worse. Much worse."

Question: What is the nickname of snooker player Jimmy White?
Answer: Whirlwind